1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus for heating a liquid and, more specifically, to a cost effective solar energy water heating apparatus which uses a lens to intensify the light energy from the sun in order to heat the water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, there are numerous devices which use solar energy for heating water. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,063 which discloses a device for the transmission of solar energy to a liquid medium; U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,574 which discloses a solar heat collector which is comprised of a box having resilient heat insulating material and a serpentined tube, positioned within the box, that acts as a solar heat collecting element which heats the fluid within the tube; U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,153 which discloses a solar energy panel for domestic and industrial hot water heating.
While current solar energy water heating devices do work, there are several problems with these devices. The biggest problem is the cost associated with these devices. Current solar panels are fairly expensive to produce. Not only is the cost relatively high to produce a solar panel, but the cost to maintain the system is also fairly high. Current solar energy water heating devices are also not very durable. These devices tend to break down fairly often even in ideal operating conditions. As such, an owner of a solar energy water heating device is constantly installing new solar panels or repairing the old panels in order for the system to continuously operate. Current solar energy water heating devices are also very inefficient when the sun is not directly above the panel. As such, when the sun moves from its peak position relative to the solar panel, the solar energy water heating device becomes less and less efficient. Thus, a longer period of time is required in order for the device to heat the water.
Therefore, a need existed to provide an improved solar energy water heating device and method therefor. The improved device must be relatively inexpensive to build and maintain. The improved solar energy water heating device must also be extremely reliable and durable even in harsh conditions. The improved solar energy water heating device must also be more efficient than current devices. The improved device must be capable of heating a liquid even if the sun is not directly above the solar panel.